HEAD COACH BRUCE ARIANS

Opening Statement:

"Not practicing: Jason Pierre-Paul with a shoulder and Jaydon Mickens with a hip. They'll be day-to-day; we'll see how it goes. Really, really pleased with practice. This is our first short week. It's the first regular week of the season where we only have three days to get ready and it's totally different. We'll be on that plane before we know it. We got a good start to the week."

(On WR Antonio Brown going on the Reserve/COVID-19 list and the team's wide receiver depth)

"Yeah, Kevin [Minter] and A.B. are both on the COVID list. With A.B. we've got plenty of good guys that have proven track records at that position. Kevin will be missed as far as special teams, but we've got some young guys ready to roll."

(On if Brown and LB Kevin Minter could still play Sunday)

"Yes, if they're asymptomatic and [have] two negative [tests] we're good."

(On if he plans to have Brown and Minter or not on Sunday)

"That would be gravy."

(On players who got MRIs on Monday)

"Nope, they're all too good. The only two guys who are hurt are those other two (Pierre-Paul and Mickens)."

(On traveling to the West Coast)

"We'll do our normal – do everything here, travel late, get there, grab a snack, go to bed. The nice thing [is], the game, it shouldn't affect our time because it's four o'clock our time and we should be ready to roll. Plenty of rest and ready to go. We come in late now, so nobody leaves the hotel anyway."

(On playing at SoFi Stadium)

"Yeah, I can't wait to see the stadium. We do crowd noise all the time, so it's all on the offense. We're very, very capable of handling the noise so that won't be an issue whatsoever."

(On what he attributes the team's good red zone numbers to)

"Not watching film and not practicing (laughs). He (Rob Gronkowski) doesn't have any more vet days, either. We just talked about that."

(On practicing for the red zone)

"We probably practice red zone more than most teams, as far as Thursday and Friday and the amount of time we spend in the offseason and training camp. It's such an important part of situational football and our guys understand what we're going to see, how we're going to handle it. And so far, so good. They've executed pretty well."

(On who would return punts and kickoffs Sunday if Jaydon Mickens can't play)

"We'll look at. We've got three guys: Jaelon [Darden], Antoine Winfield, Scotty [Miller]. Scotty looked good when he caught the kickoff and took it around the edge. We've got capable guys and we'll wait and see how it goes."

(On Carson Palmer telling Dan Patrick that Arians would throw him out of the office if he brought in play suggestions)

"Well, no. Carson – we had a great relationship. Back then I was running the meetings and everything, so it was a little bit different – our relationship – than this one [with Tom Brady]. He came in wanting to know what we did. He had some ideas and we talked him out of it."

(On how much more an offense can do with an experienced veteran quarterback like Matthew Stafford)

"Yeah, I think so much of it is the IQ of the guy you get, and Matt's got a high IQ. He can spit the football out. He's just got so much experience versus every coverage. Now, what did we call it, what do you call it? You get through that pretty quickly. So yeah, I think he's one of the few guys – I know I've said it in the past – I like going out and watching warm up because he's got such a tremendous arm and I have a ton of respect for him."

(On if he expects both offenses to throw the ball a lot on Sunday)

"It all depends on stopping the run. I think both teams like running it, too. It's a matter of, for us, we have to get the run established, on the road especially, and stay out of that one-dimensional football. Hopefully defensively we can do just the opposite – get them in a one-dimensional game and get after them."

(On how CB Jamel Dean played in Week Two)

"He played very, very well and a lot of confidence. He looked like his old self."

(On Rams CB Jalen Ramsey)

"He's playing just about everywhere. He's played SAM, nickel, safety, corner. He's a tremendous player and [they are] blitzing him. We've got to find where number five is, that's for sure. I would be surprised if he wasn't really around number 13 (Mike Evans) a lot."

(On how the Rams offense is different with Matthew Stafford)

"Probably pushing the ball down the field a little bit more. The rest of it looks just like Sean [McVay]'s offense. There's some balls that go way down the field, and with his arm off the play-action passes you have to be ready for them."

(On if the Rams are the most complete opponent the Buccaneers have seen this season)

"I would say so. So far, yeah. They don't have a glaring weakness anywhere. The kicking game's excellent, offense, defense. For us, it's the travel, it's the short week and getting used to a regular-season week, and a heck of a challenge."

(On being fired up during his halftime interview on Sunday)

"There's a level of play I want to see, and there's a level of play I will not accept. It was not a very good first half, even though we had 21 points."

CORNERBACK CARLTON DAVIS III

(On what makes the Rams passing offense dangerous)

"They just kind of have a system that works really well for them. They're confident in their plays and how they run them. It's a lot of quick throws, getting the ball out of the quarterback's hands, giving it to the playmakers and allowing them to make plays. So, I think that's what makes them dangerous, they get the ball to their play makers and allow them to play the ball."

(On how they will contain Rams WR Cooper Kupp)

"Just by playing the defense that [Todd] Bowles has us playing. He has a good scheme, not just for Cooper Kupp, but just for the whole offense in general. Bowles is great at what he does, so as long as we believe and execute the plan then I think we will be good."

(On what Rams QB Matthew Stafford adds to the offense)

"Bigger arm and deep ball – he's really good at deep balls. We're probably going to expect some this Sunday."

(On S Mike Edwards having two meaningful moments to help the team secure the win against the Falcons)

"It was cool. He's a ball hawk. He's definitely underrated in that sense. He's always been that way. He just has a knack for the ball and he's always around it. It was cool to just see him shine when he needed to and when we needed him to. Whenever he is in the game, he's reliable to be around the ball and make a play. Having him in the game and having him on our secondary has always been great for us."

SAFETY MIKE EDWARDS

(On what makes the Rams receivers difficult to defend)

"They've got a bunch of receivers that can do a lot of things – get open really well, catch the ball, yards after catch. They've got good playmakers and they've got a great quarterback. We know they are going to throw the ball a lot, but we're prepared for it."

(On what makes Rams WR Cooper Kupp tough to slow down)

"He's a good route-runner. He's got a lot of option routes. He's real shifty and, like I said, he can run after catch. So, we've got to do a good job of tackling and get him to the ground when he does catch the ball, but we've got to limit those explosive plays and just limit his choice of route-running. We'll be good."

(On the motivation he gains from people doubting him)

"Ever since I was little, a lot of people count me out. A lot of people talk stuff about me or whatever. I just take that to the chin – keep it in my back pocket to build motivation. It's just something that I've always had on my mind. I'm just trying to keep showing people what I can do and just keep executing and keep making plays."

(On if Rams QB Matthew Stafford changes the dynamic of the Rams offense)

"Yeah, he likes to take shots. Especially in the opening series, he likes to take shots and keep the defense on their toes. So we've got to be ready for that, keep everything in front of us and limit their explosive plays."

(On if Sunday's matchup with the Rams is an important measuring stick for the team)

"Yeah, for sure. Every game is like that, but we know it's a big game. We're both undefeated going to their house. We know it's going to be big competition, but like I said, we're ready for it. We know they're ready for it. We've got to go out there and play our brand of football from start to finish and we'll be great."

TIGHT END ROB GRONKOWSKI

(On Rams DT Aaron Donald)

"Yeah, if not [the best], he's one of the best interior linemen out there. I would say he probably is the best. With his skillset, we just have to be aware of him at all times. He can play inside, he can come out and play defensive end. If I go versus him, I just need to be mentally ready and physically ready because his skillset is just unbelievable. We've just got to plan for him for wherever he is out on the field, and definitely in the run game too because he can make plays in the run game and pass game."

(On what he sees from the Rams secondary)

"A lot of guys that play together. They play hard. They've got a [knack] to get to the ball – that's what they love to do, make some plays. I would say that's the type of defense that they are is to go get the ball and try to make an interception. So, you've got to be patient. You can't make mistakes because they're a sound defense. They know where to be, they know how to get to the ball, and they gang tackle pretty well too. When you do get the ball, they all come after you to get you down or to try and strip the ball from you."

(On what he attributes the Buccaneers high scoring totals to)

"All of the points that we are scoring – I would say the first thing that we attribute it to is just going out to practice. We've got a lot of skill players on our team that are very talented and you've got to put the work in together in order to bring out that talent and build up that chemistry in order to go out there and play and actually perform. That's what we've been doing. The first time we stepped out onto the field the first day of training camp and each practice week [between] these games, we just try to get better so we can go out there on a continuous basis and keep putting up points."

(On if the Rams game has a different type of feel to it)

"I mean, yeah. Every game is important – that's a fact – but there are games that definitely feel more important, even though each is just a single game. There are games that feel more important, and I would say this is one of those games. You kind of have that bitter taste. They came in here and beat us in the last couple minutes on a game-winning field goal. They've got a very solid team. They're 2-0, so there is a lot more hype. Sometimes you go into a game and there's just no hype to the game. And then there is games where there is a lot of hype and this is one of those games that's going to be a lot of hype, even though from a game with no hype to a game with hype, it's still one game. That's the difference – it kind of gets the jitters going with games like this. It's going to be a good one."

-BUCCANEERS-